Python

Python is a programming language that is fun to read, flexible and easy to use with other languages.

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To create a “Hello, World!” app using Python, all you need to write is:

print "Hello, World!"

Quite a bit more straightforward than some of these other examples, we think! Web applications like YouTube, Reddit, Dropbox, and Yelp are all powered by Python.

Pythoners, like Rubyists, believe in writing code that is simple, direct, and easy to understand, meaning that even people new to programming should be able to read Python and have a sense for what it’s saying. The Python language is also designed to make nice with other programming languages (it’s a social language!) and rather than force programmers to use one specific programming method, it allows them to use whichever technique they prefer (it’s a flexible language!).

Python is also known for its rich library of tools that make certain tasks easy and fast to accomplish. The language is a favorite among data journalists and natural language scientists for its mapping and text processing abilities.

Python is a great language for beginning programmers and the Python community is especially welcoming of women – Pyladies is an organization of women developers who mentor new Python lady-programmers.

Cocktail Party Fact

Think Python is named for the snake? Think again! Python is actually named after the slightly less scale-y, Monty Python.

As a tribute to the language’s British namesake, Python programmers often use ‘spam’ and ‘eggs’ when they need generic placeholders.